The Masked Cat
by Blackwingedangel37
Summary: Its only when Kyo disappears that Yuki comes to realize how he feels for the neko. When Kyo doesn't come home though he begins to worry he'll never be able to tell him how he feels. That is until a strange new girl comes to school...
1. Chapter 1

Warning: This is yaoi so if you don't like it don't read it!

Yuki had come to hate getting up in the mornings. Each day was just another day of having to see Honda-san walking around with pain and sadness in her eyes no matter how much she tried to hide it with her smiles. Another day of feeling empty and having his hopes crushed.

Every day was a bad day ever since Kyo had left five months ago.

It had been so unexpected. Honda-san just went to go wake him up one morning for breakfast and he hadn't been there.

At first they had all just assumed that he had gone into the mountains to train again and would come back eventually.

But days soon turned to weeks and then a whole month flew by without any sign of Kyo. Then they began to worry.

They searched all over for him but found no sign of him. Not even the smallest clue.

Shigure had tried to make them all feel better by laughing and saying that Kyo would eventually drag himself back home for school. But school came and Kyo didn't.

It began to seem like he might never come back but Yuki didn't want to accept that. He wanted Kyo to come home more than anything in the world because it was only when the neko had left had he finally realized his feelings. He tried so hard to deny his feelings but found that he couldn't no matter how hard he tried he couldn't rid himself of his love for the other boy.

Yes his _love_. Yuki loved Kyo and he couldn't believe it. It seemed so impossible. The rat was supposed to hate the cat who was supposed to share the same feelings toward him. It wasn't supposed to be any love at all but Yuki knew there was.

It was that after all that made his heart break at the end of the day when Kyo still did not return.

* * *

Ayame made his way down to the guest room of his above store apartment to see Mine waiting outside. When she saw him she gave him a smile. "Good morning boss!" She said. "How'd you sleep?"

"Good morning Mine," Ayame said. "I spelt well."

"Good," Mine said. "I had to wake up early to help him with his outfit." Ayame couldn't help but laugh at her words.

"Had some trouble with the outfit did he?" He asked. Mine nodded laughing.

"Yes he did," She said, "but it was so _cute_!"

Suddenly the door opened drawing their attention to the person stepping out of it. Ayame gave the person a small smile.

"So," He said, "you all set?" Lips curled into a small smile as eyes of the deepest crimson looked over at Ayame.

"Yeah I think so."

This is my first story so please tell me what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you for all of the reviews! I am so sorry that this chapter took so long to get out!

Yuki sat in his seat with his chin cupped in palm of his hand as he looked out the window trying to ignore all of his fan girls sitting nearby him and whispering and giggling to each other while looking at him.

Suddenly the teacher clapped her hands to get their attention which she was given instantly. "I want to announce the arrival of a new student," The teacher smiled, "Hinata Kuramae."

Yuki didn't bother looking over at the door to see the new student and instead looked back out the window. But then he heard Tohru gasp and grab his arm. "Yuki!" She said. "Look at her!"

Yuki looked over at her to see that her eyes were wide with shock. "Honda-san what's wrong?" He asked.

"Look at the new girl!" Tohru said. Yuki did as she told him and found his eyes widening in shock as well.

The girl had waist long orange hair that was held back on the right side with a red hair clip with a cat on it well the bangs fell into a pair of incredible blood red eyes. She was beautiful but that wasn't the reason for Yuki's shock.

The girl looked exactly like Kyo!

The only difference really was the emotions reflected in her eyes. Kyo's eyes were full of energy and life and this girl's eyes only reflected sadness and emptiness.

The girl turned to the class and gave them all a small smile. "It is a pleasure to meet all of you," She said while bowing to them. "I hope that you will all be kind to me."

As she rose up from her bow her eyes locked with Yuki's and she her smile widened. "Especially you Yuki-senpai," He swore he heard her whisper.

* * *

Kyo tried to ignore all of the looks people were giving him as he walked to a tree to eat his lunch. Sitting down he opened his bento box and began to eat glad that Mine was such a cook. He swore that she could give Tohru a run for her money if she really tried at it. And surprisingly enough Ayame wasn't that bad of a cook either.

As he ate Kyo looked around at everyone and noticed that Yuki and the others were sitting nearby.

Suddenly Yuki looked over at him though making his eyes widen and shot away instantly. _He couldn't have recognized me could he?_ He thought. _No way he couldn't have…_

But still just from Yuki's look Kyo's heart had jumped into his throat and not from fear.

Kyo growled clenching his fists. He wasn't going to let these feeling resurface! He had runaway because of these stupid feelings!

He was supposed to hate Yuki and he still did. He hated the damn rat for making him fall for him. Why did he have to be so perfect after all? It just wasn't far. And besides it wasn't like Yuki would ever want Kyo anyway.

He sighed and closed his eyes leaning his head back against the tree. Suddenly however he sensed a nearby presence and his eyes snapped open as he shot up.

Momiji was standing there looking at him with his large light brown eyes full of curiosity.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"Yes," Kyo said. "But who are you?"

"Oh I'm Momiji!" Momiji smiled. "Who are you?"

"I'm Hinata Kuramae," Kyo said. Instantly Momiji's face filled with realization.

"Oh you're the new student in Tohru and Yuki's class right?" He said. When Kyo nodded he beamed at him.

"Why don't you come sit with us then?" He asked. "You must be lonely sitting over here all alone!"

"Um…I'm not so sure…" Kyo said, "I wouldn't want to intrude…"

"Oh you won't be!" Momiji said. Kyo sighed and stood up.

"Alright," He said, "I'll come sit with you."

"Yay!" Momiji said. "Come on I'll introduce you to everyone!" As he grabbed Kyo's hand and dragged him towards his friends Kyo had a feeling that he'd regret this later.

When they arrived at the small group everyone looked up at them. "Momiji who's your friend?" Hatsuharu asked.

"This is Hinata Kuramae!" Momiji announced smiling. "The new student in Tohru and Yuki's class!"

"Oh this is the new girl they've been gushing over," Hatsuharu said looking Kyo over. _Yuki and Tohru were right! _He thought. _This girl looks exactly like Kyo!_

"They've been gushing over me?" Kyo asked.

"Oh well…kind of…yes," Tohru said turning an adorable pink color.

"It's alright," Kyo smiled at her, "I use to it."

"You are?" Tohru asked.

"Of course she is," Arisa said. "I mean look at her. She must make people talk just by walking down the street."

"Your right," Kyo said remembering all of the stares and cat calls he had had gotten walking to school.

"Knew it," Arisa said. "But don't just stand there come sit down." Kyo nodded and sat down with Momiji. He tried to sit the farthest away from Yuki who was still staring at him too much for his liking.

"So Hinata where did you move here from?" Torhu asked as they ate.

"Tokyo," Kyo said.

"Cool," Hatsuharu said. "Why'd you move?"

"Well my parents are fashion designers," Kyo said, "and they had to go to the States for a show so instead of leaving me home alone they sent me to stay with my older sister Mine Kuramae."

"Mine's your sister?" Tohru said surprised.

"Yep," Kyo said. "So I'm living with her and her boss Ayame-san in their above store apartment until my parents get back."

"So you've met my brother?" Yuki said.

"Yeah," Kyo said not looking at Yuki as he did his best to keep his voice even. "He misses you a whole lot you know." This one had surprised Yuki and he knew it.

"He does?" He said.

"Yeah," Kyo said. "So come visit the poor guy sometime alright Yuki-senpai?"

"I will," Yuki said. _Maybe I'll be able to see you too, _He thought with a small smile.

"Ooh maybe we could all come!" Tohru said. "I'd love to show Arisa and Saki Ayame's shop and—" But Kyo stopped her by reaching out and laying a hand on her knee.

"Maybe some other time Tohru-san," He said. "I think that Yuki should go to his brother alone first."

"Oh," Tohru said. "OK." The bell rang then and everyone got up to head back into classes.

Somehow no matter how hard he tried not to be Kyo wound up walking next to Yuki. _Damnit he's making my heart race just by standing next to me!_ Kyo thought. _OK calm Kyo calm. Deep breathes…_

"Kuramae-san are you alright?" Yuki asked. The girl looked like she was having a mini panic attack.

"Oh," Kyo said snapping out of his thoughts, "I'm fine." _I've got to get better at hiding my emotions, _He thought.

"Are you sure?" Yuki asked.

"I'm sure," Kyo said, "but thank you for caring about me Yuki-senpai."

"You're welcome," Yuki said with a small smile. A certain group of girls watching however weren't smiling…

I'll give you a cookie if you can guess who the unhappy girls were.


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry this took so long! I don't think its the best but I hope you like it.

* * *

Kyo was glad when classes were over. Having to deal with Yuki all day had not been fun especially when the boy seemed to have some kind of strange interest in him. 

Kyo sighed. He really had to learn how to deal with Yuki because if he didn't this was going to a really bad year…

"Stop right there!"

Kyo froze and turned around to see the president of the Prince Yuki fan club Motoko standing there with three other members that he recognized a Minami, Mio, and Mai. All four of them were glaring at him.

This couldn't be good…

"OK, Kuramae-san," Motoko said, "since you're new I'll let you get away with that incident at lunch."

"What incident?" Kyo asked. "All I did was sit with Yuki and his friends."

"Exactly," Motoko said. "Yuki's off limits. So stay away from him."

"I can try to," Kyo said, "but I can't promise that he'll leave me alone."

"What's that suppose to mean?!" Minami demanded. "Why wouldn't be able to stay away from you?!"

"He seems really interested in me for some reason," Kyo said, "so I don't think he really wants to stay away from me."

"Yuki isn't interested in you at all!" Motoko said. "You just want him all to yourself! But we won't let you get him!"

"And I won't let you get him either," Kyo said.

The fan girls looked at him stunned.

"W—What did you say?!" Minami demanded.

"You heard me," Kyo said a grin spreading across his lips. "None of you are getting Yuki well I'm around."

"Now listen here you—" Motoko began only to be interrupted by a sing song voice down the hall.

"Kuramae-san!"

Tohru was standing at the end of the hallway and she smiled when Kyo looked at her. "I was wondering if you'd like to walk home with us!" She said.

"Sure," Kyo smiled. "See you later girls," He smirked before walking past them to meet up with Tohru.

* * *

"So how was your first day of school?" Mine asked as she dolled out food onto their plates for dinner. 

"Well besides for Yuki's constant stares," Kyo said, "and his crazy fan club harassing me, it was alright."

"Why would the fan club harass you?" Mine asked.

"Because they think I'll try to steal Yuki from them," Kyo said. "It's not my fault that he won't leave me alone."

"Well I think that his interest in you is a good sign," Ayame said.

"It's not like that, Ayame," Kyo frowned. "He's only interested in me because I look too much like my old self. I told you I should have dyed my hair or something."

"But it's such a pretty orange!" Ayame said.

"My hair is not pretty!" Kyo shouted back.

"Yes it is, Kyo-kun," Mine laughed. "Now stop fighting and eat your dinner."

Grumbling Kyo did as he was told.


	4. Chapter 4

I am sorry for taking so long to update! I thank you all for your wonderful reviews though : )

* * *

_The room was so dark that he could barely see anything. But he could _feel_ everything that was being done to him._

_There was an arm snaking its way around his waist to hold him tight and he could feel long, thin fingers were tangled in his hair moving around in an almost tender way. But the person doing this was anything _but _tender and soon he knew that the gentle hold he was in would soon turn deadly._

_Sure enough, the fingers suddenly stopped there affectionate caressing and took hold of his hair wrenching his head backwards. He looked above; eyes straining to see in the darkness, at the face which was looking down at him with a cruel smile on its lips._

_The voice that slipped out from those lips was quiet and smooth but very, very frightening._

_"I know your secret, Kyo."_

* * *

Kyo's eyes flew open, his breathing heavy and ragged. He realized that he was shaking and wrapped his arms around himself, closing his eyes. "Its alright," He told himself softly. "It was only a nightmare. That's all in the past now…all in the past…" 

Eventually his shaking subsided and he opened his eyes with a sigh. The nightmare had robbed him of any urge to sleep so he got out of bed and walked over to his bathroom which was connected to his room.

There he turned on the shower and once he got it on the proper temperature, undressed and climbed inside.

He wished that he could just forget what had happened to him instead of having it haunt him but the memories just refused to let go.

Sighing he reached for the soap hoping that today would get better.

* * *

Unfortunately for Kyo his day did not get better. 

He had planned on just letting his hair hang loose today but Ayame had had a different idea. And that idea was two red ribbons.

"You can wear them just like Tohru does!" Ayame beamed. "It will make you look so innocent!"

"I don't want to look innocent!" Kyo snapped. "I just want to look normal!"

"But being normal is no fun at all," Ayame pouted.

"Being normal is what's going to make Yuki stop being so interested in me," Kyo said.

"That's not going to work," Mine said.

"What?" Kyo said looking at her surprised. "Why not?"

"Because everything about you is anything but normal," Mine said. "You just look too beautiful and you seem much too interesting."

"Damnit," Kyo groaned.

"So does this mean that you'll wear the ribbons?" Ayame asked.

"Sure, why not," Kyo said making Ayame squeal and grab his head to tie in the ribbons.

The ribbons had to be one of Ayame's worst ideas.

He had to practically ran to school to escape the stares he kept getting and when he got there Yuki stared at him even more then yesterday—if that was possible—making his fan girls send him death glares.

"Hello, Kuramae-san," Tohru smiled as he sat down at the desk behind her. "I love your ribbons!"  
"I don't," Kyo scowled. "I can't believe I let Ayame put them on." He reached up to rip the ribbons out of his hair but a hand caught his and stopped him.

"Please don't take them out. You look so nice with them in your hair."

Kyo froze at the sound of the familiar voice and looked up to see that it was Yuki standing there.

"Please?" Yuki asked. "For me?"

Kyo blushed and pulled his hand back from Yuki's. "Fine," He muttered. "I'll wear them."

"Thank you," Yuki said giving him a soft smile before sitting down in the desk next to him.

"Ugh, I can't believe that girl!" Minami growled. "Why is Yuki being so nice to her?"

"Its because she's a witch!" Motoko declared. "A witch who is bring our Prince under her spell! Just like Tohru Honda!"  
Minami and Mai gasped.

"Oh, no!" Mai cried. "We have to save him!"

Motoko nodded. "Hinata Kuramae has proven to be an even worst threat than Tohru Honda," She said, "and must be eliminated immediately! I'll call an emergency meeting after school so that we can figure out how to—"

"Excuse me."

All three girls jumped and turned to see Saki Hanajima standing infront of them.

"Um…can we help you, Hanajima?" Motoko asked nervously.

"No," Saki said. "I just wanted to inform you that I will be protecting Kuramae-san from anything that might hurt her."

And with that said she glided away from the other girls back to her desk where her friends looked at her curiously.

"Maybe our plans should wait," Motoko gulped.

* * *

Can you guess who the person in Kyo's dream was? 


	5. Chapter 5

Yuki sat in his seat with his chin cupped in palm of his hand as he looked out the window trying to ignore all of his fan girl

It took a little while but Kyo eventually became comfortable in his new life. Tohru, Arisa, and Saki made him apart of their group and although Yuki had become his friend as well his fan girls left Kyo alone. He didn't know why they did but he was thankful for it.

Everything went on normally until Tohru invited Kyo to a sleepover at her house.

* * *

"A sleepover?" Kyo asked.

Tohru nodded. "I thought it'd be fun!" She smiled.

"Um…I'm not sure…" Kyo said. He felt a stab of guilt as Tohru's face fell. "It's just that I've never been to one!" He said apologetically.

"What?!" Arisa gaped. "How can you never have been to one?!"

"Because no one ever invited me to one," Kyo said.

"Well that's rude," Arisa frowned.

"Indeed," Saki said. "But you should sleepover at Tohru's, Hina-chan, it'll be fun."

"Yeah," Arisa grinned. "I mean it's not like Tohru's gonna bite you."

"Eh?!" Tohru squeaked. "No! Of course I won't!"

Kyo laughed as she sputtered desperately at him. "OK," He said, "I'll go."

* * *

"Here we are!" Tohru smiled.

Kyo swallowed hard as he looked at the house. Damn, this place brought back a lot of things that he didn't want to remember.

"Hinata-san?" Tohru asked looking at him worriedly. "Are you alright?"

"Oh, I'm fine," Kyo said. "I was just zoning out. Sorry."

"That's alright," Tohru smiled. "But let's go inside now so I can introduce you to Shigure-san. I've told him so much about you."

"You have?" Kyo said following her inside.

"Mm-hm!" Tohru said. "He couldn't wait to meet you!" _Why does that not surprise me? _Kyo thought rolling his eyes as he and Tohru took off their shoes. "Shigure-san!" Tohru called as she trotted farther into the house with Kyo. "I'm home!"

At the sound of his name Shigure popped out of the kitchen and smile at the two teenagers. "Welcome home, Tohru-kun," He said. "I see you brought a friend with you."

Tohru nodded happily. "Yes, this is Hinata Kuramae," She said. "Hina-chan this is Shigure."

Kyo bowed politely to Shigure. "It's nice to meet you," He said.

Shigure who had been looking at Kyo in shock hesitated for a moment before bowing back and saying, "It's nice to meet you too, Hina-chan. Torhu-kun's told me so much about you." _Yuki and Tohru were right! _He thought. _She looks just like Kyo! _

"That's what she told me," Kyo smiled, rising up from the bow with Shigure.

Shigure smiled back at her before turning to Tohru. "So, Tohru, did Yuki have a student council meeting?" He asked.

Tohru nodded. "But he said he'd be home for dinner," She said. "I should probably go get that started now."

"I could help you wanted," Kyo offered.

"Oh, no you don't have to do that!" Tohru said. "You're the guest!"

"It's alright," Kyo said. "I like cooking."

"B—But…" Tohru sputtered.

"Don't worry," Kyo grinned taking her hand and pulling her into the kitchen. "It's no big deal."

* * *

Yuki smiled as he smelled the wonderful aroma of Tohru's cooking as he entered the house. He slipped his shoes off and headed into the dining room where he was surprised to find an extra addition to dinner.

"Hello, Yuki," Hinata said. "Tohru invited me over for a sleepover."

"And she helped make dinner!" Tohru said cheerfully.

"I see," Yuki smiled as he sat down in the free space next to Hinata. He noticed that she tensed for a moment when he did and he frowned.

Tohru served all of them and they happily dug into the food.

"Mmm, this is delicious," Shigure said. "You did great Tohru-kun and Hina-chan."

"Thank you!" Tohru beamed.

"Yes, thank you," Hinata smiled.

"So, Hina-chan, you live with Aya?" Shigure said.

"Mm-hm," Hinata said. "I'm staying with him and my sister, Mine, until my parents come back from their fashion show in the States."

"Hm, I never knew Mine had a sister," Shigure said. "You two don't look alike at all."

"We get that a lot," Hinata laughed. Yuki looked at her curiously out of the corner of his eye. Was it just him or did that laugh sound nervous? "Mine looks more like our mother," Hinata explained, "and I look more like our father."

"I see," Shigure said. "Its just that you look a lot like a relative of mine, Kyo Sohma."

Yuki and Tohru tensed instantly at the mention of Kyo. Since his disappearance it had become so painful to bring up Kyo that his name had become practically taboo.

Yuki noticed that Hinata had tensed beside him as well. "I do?" She said softly.

Shigure nodded. "Yes," He said. A sly smile slid across his lips. "You could almost be his sister."

"I've never heard of him," Hinata said quickly.

"Oh I know that," Shigure said. "I was just saying that you reminded me of him."

Hinata said nothing and turned back to her dinner and after awhile the other three did too.

* * *

That as Tohru lay in bed with Hinata, the other girl rolled over to face her. "Tohru-kun…" She asked, "whose Kyo?"

"He's Shigure-san and Yuki-san's cousin," Tohru said quietly. "He use to live here with us until recently."

"Where'd he go?" Hinata asked gently.

Tohru looked away tears filling her eyes. "He ran away," She choked out miserably.

Hinata's heart felt as though it was being ripped in two. "I'm sorry, Tohru-kun, she whispered wiping the girl's tears away gently. "I'm so, so sorry…"

**I'm sorry for taking so long-bows repeatedly-. I'll make it up to you with all of these chapters though-smiles-!**


	6. Chapter 6

* * *

Ayame was surprised but delighted when Shigure entered his shop the next morning. "Why hello, Gure-san!" He grinned. "I'm so happy you came to visit me!"

Shigure didn't reply to Ayame with his usual enthusiasm. Instead he turned to Ayame with a solemn face. "Hinata is really Kyo isn't she?" He said.

Ayame froze the smile disappearing from his face. "I have no idea what you're talking about," He said curtly.

"Come on, Aya," Shigure said. "I'm not stupid. They look exactly alike."

"Hinata-kun looks like her father—" Ayame defended but Shigure cut him off.

"Mine showed me a picture of her parents once," He said, "and 'Hinata' looks nothing like either of them."

Ayame sighed and turned away from Shigure.

They'd been caught.

"You knew where he was this whole time," Shigure said softly, "but you didn't tell us."

"I didn't have a choice," Ayame said.

"Why not?" Shigure asked.

Ayame bowed his head. "Its all Akito's fault," He whispered.

* * *

"I can't wait to see Ayame-san and Mine-san again!" Tohru chirped happily.

"You should be careful though," Kyo grinned. "Mine's told me she'd found the perfect dress for you."

Tohru's eyes widened and she gulped. "It's OK!" She said. "I don't mind being dressed up!"

Kyo laughed at her and ruffled her hair affectionately well Yuki watched them smiling.

Tohru and Yuki had insisted on walking Hinata home and so they were all heading to Ayame's shop.

It didn't take long for them to reach the shop and when they did Tohru rushed inside. Hinata and Yuki followed her inside at a much slower pace.

Once inside they were surprised to see Shigure standing next to Ayame, both looking tense.

"Is there something wrong, nii-san?" Yuki asked.

Ayame shook his head. "Shigure and I just need to talk to Hinata-kun alone for a moment," He said. "Tohru-kun, Yuki-kun, why don't you head into the back? I'm sure Mine would be only to happy to entertain you."

"Alright," Tohru said. "We'll see you in a little while Hina-chan." Yuki nodded and looked at the two men and Kyo curiously before heading into the back with Tohru.

"So, what's this all about?" Kyo asked.

Ayame sighed and turned to Kyo. "I told him the truth," He said softly.

Kyo felt as though he had just been hit in the stomach and it took a few moments for him to be able to reply. "Why the hell did you do that?!"

"I didn't have a choice," Ayame said. "He figured out."

Shigure turned to Kyo and he could see the pity in his eyes as he looked at him. "Kyo, I'm sorry," He said quietly. "I had no idea—"

"Shut up!" Kyo snapped. "I don't want your goddamn pity!"

Memories suddenly burst into his mind.

_That cruel face was smirking down at him as he lay in a sobbing heap on the floor. A hand reached out to touch his cheek but he flinched away from it making the person let out a high, cold laugh._

_"My, my, you really are pathetic aren't you, Kyo?"_

Ayame was coming towards him arms outstretched. "Kyo…" He whispered but Kyo flinched away from him.

"No, don't touch me!" He yelled. "Stay away from me!"

"Kyo we're not going to hurt you," Shigure said stepping forward.

_"Don't worry; it will only hurt at first. Then it will feel _so _good…"_

"Shut up!" Kyo shouted. "Just shut up and leave me alone!" And then he ran out of the shop before Ayame or Shigure could stop him.

At that moment the door to the back burst open and Yuki came marching out of the room with a heated look on his face with Tohru trailing after him looking concerned.

"What's going on?" He demanded.

* * *

Kyo ran down the streets ignoring the strange looks he was getting. He just wanted to get away from that place. It suffocating and those memories just wouldn't leave him.

"Where are you going in such a rush?"

Kyo's eyes widened and he skidded to a stop. Heart thundering in his chest he turned to see the figure from his nightmares leaning against a sleek, expensive black car. They even had the same cruel smirk on their face.

Akito Sohma.

* * *

**So now you know who the person in Kyo's dreams was. I know that Akito is really a girl but for the sake of the story she's a boy in this one.**

**Can you guess what he did to Kyo?**


	7. Chapter 7

Yuki sat in his seat with his chin cupped in palm of his hand as he looked out the window trying to ignore all of his fan girl

Shigure smiled at Yuki and held up his hands in defense. "Don't look so angry, Yuki-kun," He said.

Yuki glared at his older cousin clearly not amused. "What did you do to Kuramae-san?" He growled.

"We just got into a little bit of a fight," Shigure said. "You know how emotional girls can be."

"That's right," Ayame said. "I was just explaining to her that she should change her outfit and she got very upset. I didn't mean to make her so angry. I just thought she'd want to be assisted by my excellent fashion advice."

Yuki shook his head at his brother exasperatedly. "Idiot," He muttered.

"Will she be alright?" Tohru asked worriedly.

"Oh, of course she will!" Ayame said. "She'll be coming back any minute now apologizing and telling me how right I was"—Yuki rolled his eyes at this—"but in the meantime let's have some tea!"

* * *

"What are you doing here?" Kyo demanded.

"Why I came here to visit you," Akito said innocently. He coked his head to the side innocently. "Is that such a bad thing?"

"Why did you want to see me?" Kyo asked.

"Tsk, tsk!" Akito said. "So many questions!" He pushed himself off the car and walked up to Kyo. He reached out to touch Kyo's cheek only to have the boy flinch away from him. A smirk grew across his face at this reaction. "Now, now, Kyo," He chided, "I thought I taught you not to do that anymore." His smirk widened as Kyo laid his cheek against his hand. "There's a good kitty," He purred.

He stroked the boy's cheek for a few moments before slipping his arms around Kyo's neck and pulling himself up so they were face to face. Then he moved forward and pressed his lips to Kyo's.

Kyo didn't respond at first but then he pressed his lips back against the older boy's softly. "Good, your remembering what I taught you," Akito whispered into the kiss.

He kissed Kyo for a full minute before pulling away. "I think we need to continue our lessons, Kyo," He said.

Kyo's eyes widened fearfully and he tried to pull away but Akito held him tight. "No, please!" He begged. "Please just let me go—"

Akito silenced him by kissing him again. Then he pulled away and pressed his lips to Kyo's ear as one of his hands slid caressingly down his back. "Oh, but I insist," He whispered silky.

* * *

Yuki sipped what had to be at least his sixth cup of tea and ignored the idle chatter that was going on around him. His eyes were fixed worriedly on the clock. It was getting late now and Hinata still hadn't come home.

Suddenly he heard the bells of the shop door tinkling and he shot to his feet to rush out into the front room.

What he saw there made him freeze in tracks.

Hinata was kneeling on the floor clutching the door handle and panting heavily.

"Hinata!" Mine cried rushing forward with Ayame and Tohru. "Are you alright?" She asked crouching down by Hinata.

"Yeah…I'm fine…" Hinata said getting shakily to her feet. Yuki's eyes widened and Tohru gasped as blood began to roll down Hinata's legs as she stood. Hinata meanwhile was swaying on her feet and wasn't long before she was falling.

Ayame caught her by the arms before she hit the floor. "Mine would you help me bring Hinata-kun up to her room?" He asked softly.

"Of course," Mine whispered.

"Will Hina-chan be alright?" Tohru asked eyeing the blood on her friend's legs with wide, frightened eyes.

"Yes I'm sure she will be Tohru-kun," Ayame said gently. "She just needs some rest and then she'll be fine."

_

* * *

__Akito shoved Kyo inside the car, slamming the door shut behind them. Then he placed a leg on either side of Kyo's body, smirking as he felt how Kyo was trembling. "No, please don't do this!" Kyo cried._

_"Oh, come now, Kyo," Akito said. "You should be thankful. After all who else can love you like this? Certainly not you're beloved Yuki." "No," He whispered running his fingers through Kyo's hair, "he'll never love you."_

_His fingers tightened in Kyo's hair and he wrenched his head up to bit down hard on his neck making Kyo scream. Akito paid no notice to Kyo's cry and lapped at the blood that had risen to the surface. "Your mine, Kyo," He whispered into the flesh, "all mine."_

* * *

Kyo snapped up in bed panting. Then he broke down his face falling into his hands well he sobbed.

"He did it again didn't he?"

Kyo's jerked up to see Ayame sitting on his bed. Mine was beside him, her eyes full of tears as well.

Kyo dove into Ayame's arms and clutched onto the man as he cried into his chest. Ayame held him tightly and Mine rubbed his back soothingly.

"I'm so sorry," Ayame whispered. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you."

* * *

Tohru was waiting anxiously in the classroom the next day at school and when Hinata finally limped into the classroom she rushed up to her. "Hina-chan!" She cried. "Are you alright?!"

"Calm down, I'm fine," Hinata smiled. "It was just an accident. That time of month again."

"Oh…I see…" Tohru said.

Hinata sighed and laid her hand on Tohru's head. "Don't worry about me, Tohru-kun," She said. "Everything's OK now."

**Well now you can probably guess what Akito did to Kyo. I'm sorry Kyo-snuggles mini Kyo-!**

**Big Kyo- Oo What are you doing?**


	8. Chapter 8

**Thank you so much for all the reviews! **

**You'll find out why Kyo's hiding out as a girl in this chapter.**

* * *

Yuki sat in his seat with his chin cupped in palm of his hand as he looked out the window trying to ignore all of his fan girl

It had been three weeks since the incident in Ayame's shop but Yuki still couldn't forget it. Hinata had waved it off like it was nothing but Yuki noticed that she kept limping and that she would wince when she sat down. But when he asked her if she was alright she told him to stop worrying about her so much.

"Really, Sohma-kun, everything's fine!" She'd laugh but Yuki just couldn't believe her.

So he was constantly watching her, making sure she was alright, and if she showed the slightest sign of discomfort he was at her side instantly. She waved him off every time he tried to comfort her but he still hoped that he was helping her in someway.

* * *

"That damn Yuki just won't leave me alone!" Kyo complained as he sat eating dinner with Ayame and Mine.

"What do you mean?" Ayame asked looking up from the rice he had been devouring.

"He just won't stop following me!" Kyo said. "Its like he's glued to my hip or something!"

"He's probably just worried about you," Mine said. "I mean after he saw you…" But she trailed off and bowed her head as Kyo's eyes narrowed.

Ayame sighed. "You know she's right, Kyo," He said. "Yuki can tell that you're not really alright and it worries him."

"Feh," Kyo snorted. "Why would he worry about me?"

"Because he cares about you," Ayame whispered.

Kyo stiffened and then his eyes widened as he began to shake. "No, he can't care about me," He said. "He just can't…its not allowed…"

"Why can't he care about you?" Ayame asked. His eyes narrowed. "Is it because Akito said so?"

"Shut up!" Kyo snapped. "You don't know anything!"

"Kyo," Mine said standing up and reaching out to him but he jerked back from her.

"I need to be alone," He muttered and ran out of the room.

Ayame sighed, his face falling into his hands.

"Oh, Kyo, what are we going to do with you?"

* * *

Kyo didn't know how he fell in love with Yuki. It just happened. One day he wanted nothing more then to punch his pretty face in and the next he wanted to kiss it.

He tried to deny how he felt and still act like usual around Yuki but it kept getting harder and harder with each passing day.

Then one day Akito had summoned him to the main house and changed his life forever.

It turned out that no matter how well Kyo thought he had been hiding it Akito knew all about his feelings for Yuki.

And he was not happy.

"Your suppose to love me!" He raged. "Only me! I'm your _god_! You don't need anyone else!" Then he had calmed suddenly a smirk spreading across his face that sent a chill through Kyo. "I guess I'll have to punish Yuki for this."

Kyo's eyes had gone wide and he shot up from where he had been kneeling. "No!" He said. "Its my fault not his! I'm the one that should be punished!"

Akito turned to Kyo that unnerving smirk still on his lips. "But it is Yuki's fault," He said. "He made you fall in love with him."

"No, please, leave him alone!" Kyo pleaded desperately. "I'll let you do whatever you want to me just please leave him alone!"

Akito's smirk widened and there was a strange glint in his eyes now. "Anything?" He said softly. He made his way slowly towards Kyo and when he reached him he splayed his hand out on his chest. "Anything…at all?" And then his hand tightened on Kyo's shirt and yanked him down so that his lips landed on Akito's.

Kyo had tried to pull away but Akito's hand had snapped up and grabbed the back of his head, keeping him there.

When he finally pulled away Akito pressed brushed his lips softly against Kyo's cheek. "I want you, Kyo," He whispered, "and if you let me have you then Yuki will be safe."

So Kyo had let the god rape him so that Yuki would not be hurt.

But this wasn't the end of Akito's demands for him.

Akito forced Kyo to leave Shigure's house to go live with Ayame who would help him learn how to be the girl he must pretend to be from now on.

And most importantly he must not let Yuki care about him for that would mean that he could come to love him.

Kyo had done everything he was told without compliant. As long as it meant that Yuki would be safe from Akito's wrath then his own feelings didn't matter.

And things hadn't been as bad as he had thought they would be.

Ayame and Mine were actually incredibly nice to them and even though they were still extremely wacky Kyo couldn't help but like them. And they were great teachers when he had to learn everything about being a girl.

Things at school hadn't been that bad either. Having Uo, Hanna, and Tohru as his best friends was amazing and although he would always complain about Yuki he couldn't help but like the attention he gave him.

Then Akito had had to come walking back into his life and turn everything upside down again.

* * *

Akito was lying on his bed, Kureno sitting beside him. "You should have seen him when he saw me," Akito grinned. "He looked absolutely terrified." He chuckled at the memory and Kureno looked at him sadly.

"Why you do such things to him?" He asked. "Is it because you love him?"

Akito froze her eyes growing wide. "What did you say?" She demanded softly.

"I asked you if you loved him," Kureno said.

Akito snapped up in bed, glaring at him. "Why would you ask me something like that?!" She yelled. "Why should I love him?! He's a monster!"

"Then why do you treat him like that?" Kureno asked. "How can you not love him if you do that to him?"

The next thing Kureno knew he was being slapped so hard his head span.

"Shut up!" Akito shouted. "I DON'T LOVE HIM!"

Kureno knew better to stay with him when he was like this and stumbled to his feet before quickly leaving the room.

Akito, meanwhile, was staring down at his bed. "I don't love him…" He whispered, "…do I?"


	9. Chapter 9

I am very sorry that it took so long for a update but I was having writer's block. I can't believe that this story has 51 reviews O.O Thank you so much :D

* * *

Kyo was packing up his things to go home when someone said softly, "Kuramae-san?" He looked up to see Yuki standing by his desk.

"Sohma-kun?" He said. "Do you need something?"

"Um…yes," Yuki said. He seemed nervous for some reason. "I was just wondering if you were busy this weekend."

Kyo froze and his heart skipped a beat. Yuki couldn't possibly be doing what he thought he was. "Are you trying to ask me out Sohma-Kun?" He asked quietly.

"Well…yes," Yuki said his cheeks turning a faint pink.

Kyo's heart jumped into his throat, beating like mad. This wasn't supposed to be happening. If Akito were to find out… "I'm sorry, Sohma-kun," Kyo said, "but I can't go out with you." He couldn't look at Yuki as his face fell.

"Why not?" Yuki asked.

"Because it's not safe for us to be together," Kyo said. "If people found out we'd be in really big trouble."

"So we'll just make sure no one finds out," Yuki said.

"Sohma-kun, no," Kyo said. "I can't possibly…" He trailed off as Yuki's hand slipped under his chin and tipped his face up to look into the other boy's eyes. The look in those eyes took Kyo's breath away. They were so tender and sad.

"Please," Yuki said, "let me take you out. I promise no one will find out. It will be our little secret."

Kyo knew that he should pull away from Yuki and reject him but he just couldn't do it. He was agreeing before he knew what he was doing but it was worth it to see Yuki smile so happily.

* * *

"You asked Hina-chan on a date?!" Tohru exclaimed stunned.

Yuki nodded as he took another mouthful of food. "And she said yes," He said. "But its suppose to be a secret so don't tell anyone.

"Oh, I won't!" Tohru beamed. "This is so amazing! Where are you going to take her?"

"Actually I was hoping you could help me with that, Honda-san," Yuki said. "Do you know any good places to take someone?"

"I'm not sure," Tohru said, "I've never been on a date before so…" She perked up as an idea struck her. "How about the park!" She said.

"The park?" Yuki said.

Tohru nodded excitedly. "You could have a picnic dinner under the stars and it would be so romantic…" She trailed off blushing.

"That's a great idea," Yuki smiled. "Could you help me make the food?"

"Sure!" Tohru said.

Shigure sat in silence as the two teenagers talked with a frown on his face. He hoped Kyo knew what he was doing.

* * *

Kyo tried to will away the nervous feeling in his stomach as he walked through the park to the lake where Yuki had told him to meet him. His eye twitched as he remembered how Ayame and Mine wouldn't shut up about how romantic the spot was.

"Kuramae-san?"

Kyo gave a small start and turned to see Yuki sitting on a blanket spread out on the grass. He felt the nezumi's eyes studying him from head to toe and blushed. "You look beautiful," Yuki smiled.

"Thanks," Kyo muttered, sitting down next to him.

The dress that Ayame and Mine had chosen was white satin with little puffed sleeves and a sloping neckline that exposed a tantalizing amount of skin. The fabric flowed around his body, clinging to all the right places, and the hem just brushed the bottom of his knees. Ayame had forced his feet into little white high heels and had tied a ribbon of white silk in the back of his hair before Kyo could stop him.

Kyo eyed the picnic basket that sat in between them. "Is that our dinner?" He asked.

Yuki nodded and opened the basket. "Honda-san helped me make it," He said setting out the silverware and plates.

"She did?" Kyo said.

"Mm-hm," Yuki said. "I'm afraid I'm not a very good cook."

_No kidding,_ Kyo thought, remembering Yuki's disastrous attempts at cooking.

As they ate the conversation on normal, safe topics like school, friends, and funny little stories so that feeling of dread Kyo had felt slowly slipped away until he was completely relaxed.

But then after dinner had been finished and they were lying together looking up at the stars Yuki asked a question that brought that feeling back.

"Why can't anyone find out about this?"

"I told you," Kyo said. "We'd both be in a lot of trouble."

"With who?" Yuki said. "My family doesn't care about what I do and I can't I thought that Ayame and Mine-san would be happy for you."

"It's not them I'm worried about," Kyo said.

"Then who?" Yuki pressed.

"Just forget it," Kyo said. "It's not important."

"Yes it is," Yuki said. "I want to know why you're so afraid to be with me. It…it worries me."

"It worries you?" Kyo asked, rolling onto his side to look at Yuki.

"Yes, it does," Yuki said. "I don't want you to have to be scared." He rolled onto his side too and brushed his fingers against Kyo's cheek. "So please tell me," He said.

"Sohma-kun, I can't—"

Kyo never got a chance to finish his sentence because at that moment Yuki leaned in and pressed his lips softly to his.

Kyo knew that he should pull away but he had no will to. He had been wanting this for far too long. So he forget all about Akito's conditions and leaned into the kiss.

The kiss seemed to last forever but finally they were pulling apart, panting for breath.

"No one can find out about this because I'm not allowed to be with you."

The words slipped out before Kyo could stop them and he instantly regretted it.

"You're not allowed?" Yuki said surprised.

Kyo nodded, bowing his head. "That's why I was so afraid," He said. "I'm not suppose to get close to you, not like this at least…"

"But that's not fair," Yuki said. "Who's trying to keep us apart?"

"I can't tell you," Kyo said. "If he found out that I even told you, he'd be so angry…"

"I don't care," Yuki said. "I'll protect you from him."

Kyo's head snapped up and he grabbed onto Yuki's shoulders. "Don't say that!" He said. "You have no idea what he'd do to you!"

"I'm not afraid of him," Yuki said.

"Well you should be!" Kyo snapped. "Please don't go against him! There's no telling what he might do to you!"

"And you're afraid for me?" Yuki asked.

"Of course I am you idiot!" Kyo said. "If you got hurt it'd be all my fault! And he might hurt you so bad you'd…"

He trailed off when Yuki smiled and pressed his finger to his lips. "I won't go against him if it scares you so much," He said.

"Thank you," Kyo said.

"But that doesn't mean," Yuki grinned taking his finger from Kyo's lips, "that I'm not going to ask you if you want to go out again next Saturday."

"Good," Kyo grinned back.


	10. Chapter 10

**Sorry these updates took so long but I kept debating over how I wanted the story to go and I finally decided that the way I had it orginally was best. **

**A HUGE thank you to all my reviewers by the way. I can't believe that this story is well liked!**

* * *

After that night Kyo officially entered into a secret relationship with Yuki. Every weekend Yuki would sneak over to Ayame's to take Kyo out for the night.

Ayame and Mine were thrilled that things were finally working out for their two favorite lovebirds and insisted on dressing Kyo up before every date and demanding all the juicy details afterwards.

Of course Yuki still had no idea that he was actually dating a boy but Kyo tried not to think about that. He just wanted the dream he was in to last for as long as possible.

* * *

Akito's room was full of darkness when Kureno stepped inside of it. He could just make out Akito lying curled up under a heap of blankets on his futon.

He had been like this ever since Kureno had accused him of loving Kyo. It seemed that like usual his emotions had made him sick.

Kureno sat down by the futon and laid his hand gently on Akito's shoulder. "How are you feeling?" He asked softly.

The answer surprised him.

"I want Kyo."

"Kyo?" Kureno echoed.

Akito nodded and rolled over, grabbing hold of Kureno's shirt. "Bring him to me, Kureno," He said. "He's the only one that can make me feel better."

Kureno placed his hands over Akito's and slowly loosened them from his shirt. "I'll get him for you then," He said.

* * *

"Can I open my eyes yet?" Kyo asked.

He had come to Shigure's house today because Yuki had said he had a surprise for him. So now he was being lead through the woods, promising not to open his eyes till he was told.

"You can in a second or two," Yuki said. "We're nearly there."

"If you say so," Kyo said. "You better not lead me into a tree or anything."

Yuki laughed and squeezed the hand he was holding. "Of course not," He said.

He lead Kyo a few more paces and then stopped. "Okay," He said, "you can look now."

Kyo opened his eyes and was astonished to find a huge bush of red roses infront of him.

"I know that roses are pretty cliché," Yuki said nervously, "but it's the only thing I could think to plant that would express my feelings correctly."

Kyo tore his eyes from the roses and looked over at Yuki. "Their not cliché at all," He said. "These are my favorite flowers."

Yuki brightened instantly. "Really?" He beamed. "Then its perfect!"

Kyo opened his mouth to answer him but suddenly the over part of Yuki's words came back to him.

_The only thing I could think to plant that would express my feelings correctly…_

"Yuki, do you love me?" He whispered.

"So you caught on to why I planted it," Yuki said with a small smile. He pressed his lips softly against Kyo's cheek. "Yes," He said. "I love you."

Kyo felt his heart raced happily at these words but then stopped when he realized something. Yuki still thought that he was a girl. He was in love with Hinata not Kyo. And no matter how much he loved Yuki he wanted him to reallylove _him_ not someone he was pretending to be.

"Yuki," He said softly, "there's something you should know. I'm not really…"

He trailed off when he felt Yuki stiffen against him. He looked up and found Yuki staring at something over his shoulder with his wide eyes full of surprise. "Yuki?" He frowned.

He jumped as a hand came down on his shoulder and he whipped around to find himself face to face with Kureno Sohma.

Yuki's eyes narrowed and he pulled Kyo to him protectively. "What are you doing here?" He demanded.

"I'm here for Hinata-san," Kureno said.

Yuki's hand tightened around Kyo's and Kyo gave it a comforting squeeze. "What do you want me for?" He asked.

"Akito wants you," Kureno said.

Kyo could feel his heart stop. He could already guess why Akito wanted to see him and he didn't want to have to do go through it again. Not when the last incident had only been a few weeks ago…

"What does Akito want with Hinata?" Yuki asked. His eyes widened. "He didn't—"

Kureno held up a hand to stop him from continuing. "Don't worry," He said. "He doesn't know that you're together."

"You won't tell him will you?" Kyo asked.

Kureno gave him a small smile. "I'm not that cruel," He said.

"Good," Yuki said. "But why does Akito want to see Hinata?"

"That's a private matter," Kureno said.

Yuki frowned and opened his mouth to demand that Kureno tell him what was going on but Kyo placed his hand on his cheek stopping him.

"Don't worry Yuki-kun," He said. "I'll be fine."

"I should go with you," Yuki said. "You don't know Akito like I do."

"I know him better then you think," Kyo said. Yuki gave him a confused look but he shook his head. "I'll explain everything when I get back," He said. He brushed his lips against Yuki's before taking the hand Kureno offered him and let himself be lead away from Yuki and his garden.

The whole time he could feel Yuki's eyes burning holes in his back.

* * *

Akito didn't stir when the door opened. He heard the dull pad of footsteps on the floor and then a soft thud as someone snuck to their knees beside the futon. He clutched the quilt that the maids had wrapped around him as tightly as possible. _Please let it be him,_ He thought. _Please let him have come to me._

His prayers were answered when the person leaned over him and a shower of orange tresses fell infront of his face. He rolled over and looked up into the face of the person he had been longing to see for weeks now.

"Kyo…"


	11. Chapter 11

**Things are about to get angsty...**

Tohru rushed down the stairs when she heard the front door open anxious to greet Yuki and Hinata. But her smile slipped from her face when she saw that Yuki was alone. "Yuki-kun?" She said. "Where's Hina-chan?"

"Kureno came to take her to Akito," Yuki said.

Tohru gasped, eyes widening. "Akito didn't find out about you did he?!" She panicked. Yuki shook his head which relieved and confused her. "Then why would Akito want to see her?" She asked.

"I don't know," Yuki said. "Kureno said it was a private matter but Hinata promised to explain when she came back."

"Did she now?"

Yuki and Tohru turned to see Shigure leaning against the doorway to the kitchen with a sly smile on his face.

"Yes she did," Yuki frowned.

"Well that's surprising," Shigure said. "I thought she'd never tell you. At least not willingly."

"What's that suppose to mean?" Yuki asked. His eyes narrowed. "You know what's going on don't you."

"Yes I do," Shigure said, "but I'm not saying a word. I owe that to Hinata-kun."

* * *

Akito wound his arms around Kyo's neck and pulled him close to him. "You've been sick," Kyo said.

"Yes," Akito said. "Thanks to you."

"How'd I make you sick?" Kyo asked.

"Because you made me fall in love with you," Akito said. He felt Kyo stiffen in his arms.

"What?" Kyo murmured incredulously.

"I love you," Akito said. "Why else do you think I wanted to do those things to you?" He pressed his cheek against Kyo's so that his lips were nestled against the boy's ear. "But I know you don't love me," He said. "Your heart belongs to your precious Yuki." His eyes narrowed and his grip on Kyo tightened. "But you're not going to be seeing him ever again. I was a fool to allow you to be so near to him. From now on you're going to be with me always."

Kyo began to struggle in Akito's arms but Akito held on refusing to let him go. Eventually he stopped trying to fight and lay still. Akito felt something wet against his cheek and he brushed his lips against it.

"Don't cry Kyo," He said. "Soon you'll forget all about Yuki. And then you will love me as much as I love you."

* * *

Yuki couldn't sleep all that night. He lay awake, staring at his cell phone hoping that Hinata would call and tell him that she was fine but no call came.

Despite Tohru's pleading that he stay home and catch up on his sleep, Yuki dragged himself to school hoping that Hinata would be there. He waited by the gate with Tohru, Arisa, and Saki until the bell rang but she never showed up. And there was no sign of her for the rest of the day either.

Yuki and Tohru went to Ayame's and were stunned to find that Ayame and Mine didn't know where Hinata was either and were just as worried as the rest of them.

They made their way home in silence each lost in their anxious feelings.

When they got there though they were surprised to find Shigure standing solemnly outside the house.

"Akito wants to see us," He said.

* * *

Akito smiled contentedly as he rested his head on Kyo's shoulder. "They should be here soon," He said. "Are you nervous?" Kyo didn't answer him and Akito brushed his fingers in a soothing matter over his chest. "Yuki will reject you when he finds out the truth…"

Kyo clutched his hands together so hard that he could feel his nails biting into the flesh of his palms. He knew that Akito was probably right but he didn't want to think about that right now. Just imagining Yuki's shock and disgust was already bad enough.

The door slid open to reveal Akito's personal maid. She bowed to Akito and Kyo before saying that their visitors had arrived.

Kyo's heart tightened. So it begins.

"Very good," Akito said, rising up from Kyo's shoulder. "Let them in."

The maid nodded and stepped aside to allow Shigure, Yuki, and Tohru into the room. Kyo looked away from Yuki's astonished gaze.

"Thank you all for coming to see me," Akito smiled. "Please sit down." Shigure and Tohru obediently obeyed but Yuki remained standing, glaring at Akito.

"What have you done to Hinata?!" He demanded.

Akito raised his eyebrows in surprise. "There's no reason to be angry, Yuki," He said. "Does Kyo look hurt to you?"

Yuki and Tohru gave a start; their faces twin images of surprise. Shigure was the only one who didn't seem affected by Akito's statement.

"Kyo?" Tohru said, her eyes shifting between Akito and Kyo. "But that's not right. That's Hina-chan."

Akito threw back his head and let out a cold laugh. "That's right I forgot!" He laughed. "You don't know!"

"Don't know what?" Yuki asked glancing at Kyo who kept his gaze trained on his lap.

Akito stopped laughing and smirked at Yuki. "Little Hinata here has been pretending," He said. He grabbed Kyo's chin and forced him to look up at Yuki. "This is Kyo Sohma," He said.

Tohru gasped her hands flying to her mouth in shock. Yuki stumbled backwards, eyes wide.

Kyo tried to look away as Tohru's eyes began to fill with tears but Akito's grip remained firm.

"W—Why?" Tohru sputtered. "Why did you run away? And why didn't you tell who you really were?"

Kyo fought back the tears that were already threatening to escape from his eyes. "I couldn't," He said. "I made a deal."

"With who?" Yuki demanded.

Kyo winced at the harshness of his words.

"With me," Akito said. "And it was all because of you, Yuki."

"Me?" Yuki frowned.

"Yes," Akito said. "You see, Kyo fell in love with you and when I found out I was furious. I knew it was all your fault for making him fall for you. I was ready to punish you properly but Kyo pleaded with me to spare you. And so he let me have his body in exchange for your safety."

Yuki froze and Kyo could see the color drain from his face. "He…he what?" He breathed.

"He let me take him to protect you," Akito said. "And he's let me do it again quite recently. I heard that you and Tohru-san were very frightened when you saw Kyo after I was through with him."

Yuki's face contorted with fury. "That was you!" He glared.

"Why so angry Yuki?" Akito asked. "It's not like you love him."

Yuki looked away and didn't answer him.

"Exactly," Akito said. "So there's really no reason—"

"You're wrong."

Akito immediately stopped talking and his eyes narrowed at Yuki. "What did you say?" He asked in a soft deadly voice.

Yuki looked back at Akito his eyes narrow but filled with a strength Kyo had never seen there before.

"I said your wrong," Yuki said. "I love Kyo. I've known I have ever since he disappeared."

A deep feral growl rose in Akito's throat and he clutched Kyo's chin so hard it hurt. "Your love is nothing compared to mine!" He snapped. "I will make him forget all about you!"

"That's not going to work," Yuki said. "Our love isn't going to be that easy to defeat."

"We'll see about that," Akito snarled. "Now all of you get out of my sight."

Shigure helped Tohru get shakily to feet and Yuki looked over at Kyo and smiled.

"I love you, Kyo," He said.

Kyo couldn't hold back a smile but his answer of, "I love you too," was drowned out by Akito's roar. He shot to his feet, glaring at Yuki. "Get out!" He screamed. "Get out!"

The head maid rushed in gasping at the sight of Akito shaking in rage.

Kyo stood up and threw his arms around Akito. "Leave!" He said.

Tohru moved forward her eyes fearful but Shigure pulled her back. The maid hurried them out and Kyo felt Akito slowly relax in his arms.

"I hate him!" Akito raged. "I hate him!"

Kyo sighed and laid his head down on Akito's shoulder. He knew that there was only way to calm the god down.

Ignoring the screams from his heart, he brushed his lips against Akito's cheek. "It's okay," He said gently. "He's gone now."

Akito smiled and looked back at Kyo. "Yes he is," He said. "And he's the one that's wrong because he didn't remember that I know someone who can take memories away very easily."

Kyo's eyes widened in horror. He wasn't really going to…

Akito leaned in and pressed his lips to Kyo's. "I know it hurts now," He said, "but soon there will be only happiness."


	12. Chapter 12

Hatori was shocked when he heard Akito's order. "All of his memories?" He said.

"Only up till he went to Shigure's house," Akito said. "All the memories before that are fine for him to keep."

"Akito, this isn't a good idea," Hatori said. "He'll be loosing a lot of memories. There's no telling how he'll react."

Akito's eyes narrowed at the doctor. "Are you disobeying me?" He asked.

Hatori sighed and glanced at Kyo. The neko was sitting in a chair before his desk and he was looking straight ahead with the most chillingly empty eyes Hatori had ever seen. He shook his head and walked around his desk to Kyo. "I'm sorry Kyo," He whispered kneeling down infront of Kyo.

Kyo closed his eyes as Hatori's hand slipped over them. _I love you, Yuki,_ He thought.

There was a bright flash of light and then nothing.

* * *

Akito sat by the futon that Kyo was fast asleep on, trailing his finger's through the boy's hair. He had passed out after Hatori had erased his memories and the doctor had said that he needed to have some bed rest.

Akito couldn't wait for him to wake up so he could but his plan into motion.

Suddenly Kyo squinted and then his eyes fluttered open. He jumped when he caught sight of Akito and pulled away from him.

"Don't be afraid Kyo," Akito said gently. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"Why am I here?" Kyo asked, his eyes darting around the room. "Where's Shishou?"

Akito cocked his head to the side, his face a perfect look of confusion. "What are you talking about Kyo?" He said. "Kazuma sent you to live here when he left to go training last year."

"Last year?" Kyo said his eyes widened in shock.

Akito frowned in concern and laid his hand on Kyo's cheek. "That fall must have messed with your memories," He said.

"What fall?" Kyo said.

"You took a rather nasty fall down the stairs," Akito said. He shook his head. "I warned you that they weren't safe to run down."

"So that's why I can't remember," Kyo muttered. He bit his lip and looked warily over at Akito. "What's happened?" He asked.

Akito bit back a smug smirk. "Well you weren't so happy about staying here at first," He said, "but then you started to warm up to me and got very comfortable here."

"I did?" Kyo said surprised.

"Mm-hm," Akito said. "In fact by the time Kazuma came back you didn't want to leave here at all. Of course by then we were lovers."

Kyo's eyes went wide and his mouth fell open. "We were lovers?!" He exclaimed.

"Yes," Akito said. "And I hope we still can be."

"I…I…don't know," Kyo said. "It's too—"

Akito leaned in and captured Kyo's lips in a passionate kiss. He felt Kyo stiffen and then slowly relax leaning into the kiss.

When Akito finally pulled away Kyo's eyes were half lidded and his lips were swollen.

"What do you think now?" Akito whispered. "Do you think you can still be mine?"

"Yes," Kyo whispered back dazed.

"Thank you," Akito smiled. He kissed Kyo again, pushing him back onto the futon.

To his surprise Kyo didn't struggle as he straddled him. Instead arms wrapped around his waist pulling him down against the neko.

Akito felt a surge of delight rush through him and he gasped as Kyo pulled away from the kiss to nip at his neck.

_I win Yuki._

* * *

The night after their shocking meeting with Akito, Shigure was surprised to find Hatori on his doorstep.

"Well this is a surprise," He said. "You arrived just in time for dinner. Care to join us?"

Hatori nodded and swept past Shigure towards the dining room. Shigure shook his head and closed the door before following him.

Tohru nearly dropped the plate she had been holding when they walked in. "Oh, Hatori-san!" She said. "I didn't know you were coming to dinner!"

"Sorry for coming so unexpectedly," Hatori said, sitting down at the table with Shigure, "but I couldn't get away from the main house until late."

"Don't worry about it," Shigure said. "I have a feeling you've come to update us on the Kyo matter."

The table went quiet now as all eyes focused on Hatori who sighed.

"Yes, I have," He said, "but its not good news."

Tohru clutched the fabric of her skirt tightly. "What's happened?" She asked. "Did Akito do something?"

Hatori nodded solemnly. "He ordered me to erase Kyo's memories," He said.

Tohru gasped and Yuki's mouth fell open, his chopsticks tumbling out of his hand.

Shigure only shook his head with a sigh. "I expect as much," He said. He turned to Hatori. "How much was erased?"

"He remembers everything expect for what happened this past year," Hatori said.

"So he doesn't remember Yuki-kun," Tohru breathed.

"That's right," Hatori said. "And Akito has him convinced that they're lovers."

"But how could Kyo believe that?" Tohru said. "He's always hated Akito."

"I don't know how he did it," Hatori said, "but Kyo doesn't show any signs of dislike now. It's almost like he's—"

"Like he's in love," Yuki whispered.

"Yuki…" Tohru said softly laying her hand on his.

Yuki bit back his tears and looked up at Hatori. "Is there anyway to reverse what you've done?" He asked.

"I'm not sure," Hatori said. "We could try showing him things that might force him to remember. Things from the year he's forgotten."

* * *

Kureno went up the last rung of the later and pulled himself up onto the roof. He smiled when he saw the figure lying there and then chuckled as they jumped up startled by his appearance.

"There you are," Kureno said, sitting down next to Kyo. "Akito's been looking all over for you."

Kyo sighed and looked away from him. "I didn't mean to worry him," He said. "I just wanted to be alone for awhile."

"Is something brothering you?" Kureno asked.

"Yeah," Kyo said. "But it's strange. It's like there's something right in the back of my mind, something I feel that I should remember but can't. Do you think it's because of the fall?"

"Maybe," Kureno said. He was silent for a little for a few moments silently debating weather or not he should try to jog Kyo's memories. In the end he decided that it was worth any punishment Akito may give him. "I think it has something to do with Yuki," He said.

Kyo turned to him in surprise. "Why would it have anything to do with that stupid rat?" He asked.

"Well despite what Akito may tell you," Kureno said, "you actually started to get very close to him."

"I did?" Kyo said. "Why would I do something like that?"

"Because you loved him," Kureno said.

Kyo's eyes widened and he remained frozen in shock for a few seconds before shaking his head wildly. "No way!" He said. "I hate Yuki! And how could I have loved him anyway? I love Akito!"

"No you don't," Kureno said. "You're only saying that because of what Akito told you. But he lied to Kyo. The things he said never happened. He only wanted them to."

"That's not true!" Kyo snapped. "You're the one that's lying!" He shot up from the roof and ran from Kureno to the ladder which he hurriedly made his way down.

Kureno sighed and leaned back against the roof. This was going to be harder then he had thought.


	13. Chapter 13

**Thank you for all your reviews! I can't believe this story's so popular!**

* * *

It was early Monday morning and most teenagers were rushing off to school by now. Normally Kyo would have been amongst them but not today.

Akito had decided that Kyo shouldn't attend the local high school anymore because it seemed to have too much of a negative influence on him. Instead he would be home schooled starting next week.

Kyo didn't know why but for some reason this change made him feel a painful sense of loneliness. He wanted nothing more then to be among those chattering groups of children heading off to school.

He out a frustrated growl and shook his head. Why the hell did he feel this way? He should be happy! Akito loved him and lavished affection upon him, giving him anything he wanted. He just had to ask for it and it would be his in a second.

Yes, he should be happy but for some reason he couldn't be. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing. It seemed like there was something that he should remember-that he _had_ to remember-but he just couldn't figure out what that was.

And even though Akito loved him so deeply Kyo couldn't really return those feelings properly. He certainly cared for the young god but it wasn't the kind of care Akito truly wanted from the person who was suppose to be his lover. Kyo just hoped that eventually he would come to feel the same way for Akito that he had use to.

He jumped as fingers suddenly slipped into his long hair, pulling him from his melancholy musings. He heard a soft chuckle and looked up to see Akito above him.

Akito smiled softly and sat down beside him. "Is something the matter, Kyo?" He asked. "You look rather put out."

"I'm sorry, Akito," Kyo said. "I just wish that my memories would come back. I keep feeling like there's something that I should remember."

Akito frowned, displeased by Kyo's answer, and cupped the neko's face in his hands. "Does it really matter if your memories come back?" He said. "We can make whole new memories now with each other." He pressed his lips to Kyo's, his heart swelling with happiness as the boy responded eagerly to him.

Kyo would never remember a thing. He wouldn't allow him to.

* * *

Tohru stood outside Yuki's door wringing her hands nervously. Yuki hadn't left his room since they had gotten back from school. He hadn't even come down for dinner, claiming that he wasn't hungry.

Summoning up all of her courage, Tohru took a deep breath and knocked lightly on the door. "Yuki-kun?" She called. "Can I come in?"

It took a little while but finally a quiet, "Yes," came from inside.

Tohru opened the door and walked inside the dark room. It didn't take her long to spot Yuki. He was lying on his bed and staring up at the ceiling with an empty expression that frightened her.

She sat down on the bed and laid a comforting hand on his. "Yuki-kun, are you sure don't want something to eat?" She asked. "I could warm up the leftovers from dinner for you."

"No, thank you, Honda-san," Yuki said. "I don't want anything to eat right now."

Tohru nodded and looked down at her lap. After a few moments she glanced back up at Yuki. "Um…Yuki-kun, are you alright?" She asked softly.

Yuki sighed and she felt him stiffening under her hand. "No, I'm not," He said. "I love him so much. He's the most important thing in the world to me; even more important then myself. And he felt the same way about me until Akito…" He clutched the blanket below him tightly and Tohru could see the tears glittering in his eyes. "He won't get away with this. I told him that our love couldn't be broken and I'll prove it to him. I'll get Kyo back. I have to."

Rivers of tears were rolling down his cheeks now and Tohru leaned in and pressed her forehead against his in the only gesture of comfort she could give him.


	14. Chapter 14

Normally Tohru did her best to pay attention during school so that she would be able to maintain the good grades necessary for graduating like her mother's dream. But today she wasn't focusing on the teacher at all and the paper in front on her wasn't for taking notes on.

The paper was suppose to be for a letter to someone very important but Tohru couldn't think of the right words to put on it. Especially because the person didn't even remember her.

She bit down hard on her lip and brought her pencil to the paper determined to write the best letter possible.

* * *

Kyo was lounging on the veranda, flipping idly through one of the books Hatori had lent him. Akito had gone out to attend an important dinner meeting with some other family members so Kyo was alone for the night. He gladly would have gone with Akito but the older boy had refused. He still thought that Kyo needed more rest and relaxation before venturing back into the outside world.

Kyo closed the book in front of him with a sigh and laid down on the veranda. He was bored with relaxing. He wanted to get out and have some fun.

His eyes were just sliding shut when he heard the creak of footsteps on the floor behind him and he snapped up and whipped his head around to see who was there.

Much to his surprise it was Kureno who was standing there. "Kureno?" He blinked. "What are you doing here? I thought you went with Akito to the restaurant."

"I wasn't feeling well so he let me stay home," Kureno said, sitting down next to Kyo. He glanced over at the neko. "And besides, I had something important to do."

Kyo frowned at this. He still didn't know if he should really trust the rooster or not. He had said such weird things to him that night on the roof. And he had even accused Akito of lying to him.

Kureno reached inside his pocket and pulled out a folded up sheet of paper that he handed to Kyo. "This is from one of your old classmates," He said. "You won't remember her but the two of you were very close."

Kyo raised his eyebrows but took the letter and unfolded it.

* * *

_Dear Kyo, I know that you don't remember but you use to be one of my best friends in the whole world. You were like the big brother I never had. And we use to live together in Shigure-san's house with Yuki-kun. _

_I'm sure that you don't believe that at all but I swear on my life that its true. The things that Akito-san has been telling you aren't the whole truth. _

_Please, __please__, meet me in the park after my school gets out. I'll explain everything to you there I promise. _

_Tohru Honda_

* * *

Kyo stared in the letter in amazement for a few minutes before looking back up at Kureno who stared back at him pleadingly.

"I know it seems strange but please go meet her," He said.

Kyo turned away from him, ignoring as his soft voice went on begging him to go see this Tohru Honda person. It seemed pretty farfetched that Akito had been lying to him but he couldn't help but remember the odd feeling he'd been feeling lately. Could this girl help him figure out what he should be remembering?

"Fine. I'll go."


	15. Chapter 15

**I reccently read Volume 20 of Fruits Basket which inspired me to get cracking on this story. I hope you enjoy it-bows-!**

* * *

Tohru sat on one of the park's many benches, the fabric of her skirt clutched tightly in her hands. She had never been more nervous in her life. She just hoped that Kyo would really come see her. She was determined to remain here until he showed but she knew that Yuki and Shigure would probably get worried if she didn't return home before dark.

As she thought of her housemates the grip on her skirt tightened. She hadn't told them about her plan because she hadn't wanted to get their hopes up; especially not Yuki's. She didn't want to see how he would react if the plan failed.

Tohru closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. She just had to believe that Kyo would come and when he did she would show him what she had brought with her. She had worked so hard to put it together and if didn't help Kyo remember then she didn't know what would.

"Um, are you Tohru Honda?"

Tohru's eyes flew open and she found herself looking up into familiar, curious crimson eyes. Shooting to her feet, she instantly sank into a bow. "Y-Yes that's me!" She said. "I'm so glad you came Kyo-kun!"

Kyo seemed to find her enthusiasm a little uncomfortable but he bowed his head to her politely. He didn't seem to have changed at all since the last time she had seen him. His hair was still at the length it had been when he was pretending to be a girl and had been pulled back into a long ponytail. His black tee shirt clung tightly to his chest whereas his faded jeans hung loosely off his hips.

He eyed her cautiously still not quite sure what to make of her. "So are you going to tell me what's going on?" He asked. "You said that you were going to explain things to me."

Tohru nodded and turned back to the bench where she rummaged hurriedly through her school bag before pulling out a large notebook. She handed it to Kyo who raised his eyebrows at her.

"How's this suppose to help?" He asked.

"Just trust me," Tohru said softly.

Something stirred inside Kyo as he looked into her pleading eyes and he took the notebook from her and plopped down on the bench, flipping it open. His eyes widened at what he saw there.

There was a picture taped onto the paper and in it Shigure, Yuki, and Tohru were all standing in front of a pleasant looking house nestled in the woods. Tohru was beaming at the camera and Yuki was standing next to her with smiling softly. On Yuki's other side Shigure was grinning devilishly at the camera.

But Kyo hardly even spared them a glance as his eyes focused on the person standing next to Shigure.

It was him.

Tohru sat down next to Kyo, her eyes on the picture too. "That was taken during our first year of high school," She said. "You had come to live with Shigure-san until Kazuma-san returned from his training."

Something began to stir in the back of Kyo's mind and he winced at the strange feeling. Trying to distract himself he glanced over at Tohru. "Why were you living with us?" He asked.

"Oh, well, you see my mom died in a car accident that year," Tohru said. "I started living with my paternal grandfather but then his house had to be remolded and I didn't want to be a burden so I decided to live on my own in a tent. But the woods I was living in was actually Shigure-san's property and when he and Yuki-kun found me they took me in as their housekeeper. A little while after that I found out about your family curse but since I promised not to tell anyone about it I was allowed to keep living at Shigure-san's."

Kyo couldn't stop from staring at her in shock when he heard that she knew about the curse. He had thought that all outsiders that learned of it were suppose to have their memories erased. Why had Akito allowed there to be an expectation in her case?

Tohru reached over to what Kyo now supposed was a scrapbook and shuffled through the pages for awhile until she found the page she wanted to show him.

The picture on the page had three girls in it; all of them dressed in the same school uniform that Tohru was wearing. The taller of the girls had long blond hair and was wearing a huge grin well making a peace sign with her fingers. The second girl had tied her black hair into a braid and her dark eyes seemed to have an air of mystery to them that was only extenuated by her soft smile.

They both seemed strangely familiar and once again Kyo felt that strange feeling in his mind. Pushing away the strange feelings he turned his attention to the girl nestled in between the other two and froze.

That wasn't a girl! It was him! But how was that possible!

Before he knew what was happening his head suddenly erupted in intense pain. He let out a strangled cry as he fell off the bench, clutching his head.

Tohru was at his side in an instant clutching his arms, her voice full of concern. Kyo tried to tell her what was happening but the pain was unbearable.

Images were flashing through is mind in rapid succession and took Kyo a little while to realize that they were his memories. He saw Tohru's smiling face as she welcomed him back home and he felt a warm rush of happiness. That was right he had had a home hadn't he? A real home with a loving though slightly dysfunctional family.

The memories were changing now and Akito's face replaced Tohru's. Kyo felt a shiver of pure terror go through him as he looked up into that smirking face. Those eyes were so cold and he could see nothing but cruelty in them.

He could almost feel Akito's hands on him again as he watched the god use him and he shivered as the sound of his own screams filled his ears.

But then everything shifted. The light was shining down on him and the air smelt faintly of roses. He felt lips ghost over his own and he looked up to see Yuki smiling down at him.

"Do you remember now Kyo?" Yuki asked.

"Yes," Kyo whispered. "I remember everything."

_And I love you, Yuki._


	16. Chapter 16

Kyo had been discovered missing an hour ago and since that time Akito had not stopped pacing his room. Kureno sat nearby his eyes following the head of house as he stomped around every inch of his room.

"Where could he have gone?" Akito ranted. "I told him not to leave the house! He's not ready to be on the outside yet. And what if he runs into _him_."

The venom in Akito's voice as he said the word "him" left little thought in Kureno's mind of who he was referring to. "Don't worry," He said. "I'm sure that Kyo will return soon. He probably just needed to get out for awhile. He didn't like being cooped up here anyway."

Almost on the cue the door slid open and a maid stepped into the room, head bowed. Sensing her presence immediately, Akito whirled around to look at her. "Has he returned?" He demanded.

The maid opened her mouth to reply but the answer revealed itself as Kyo swept into the room from behind her.

Akito was on him in an instant, clutching his arms so tightly that Kureno was sure it would leave bruises. "Where have you been?!" Akito said. "Do you have any idea how worried I was?! I told you that you weren't allowed to go outside yet! How could you even _think_ of disobeying my orders?!"

Kyo hadn't been looking at Akito as he had been yelling at him but now he turned to look at him and Akito gasped for Kyo's narrow eyes had fixed him in a gaze of absolute hatred.

"Get your filthy hands off of me," He growled.

The maid gasped her head snapping up in shock and Kureno's eyes widened. He rose from his place on the floor and glanced at the maid. "You should probably leave," He said. The woman nodded and hurriedly fled the room.

"K-Kyo?" Akito stammered. "What are you-"

"I have my memories back," Kyo said. "And I know that you've been lying."

Akito's hands began to tremble as their grip on Kyo's arms tightened. "That can't be true," He said, his voice soft and desperate. "Hatori erased your memories…"

"And Tohru brought them back," Kyo said.

Akito's eyes flashed at this admission and his teeth gritted together. "Damn that girl!" He snapped. "I will make her pay for this!"

"No you won't!" Kyo barked. He yanked himself free of Akito's grip and glared fiercely at him. "I'm not going to let you control me anymore. You can't force me into loving you because I never will. My heart belongs to Yuki and I'm going back to him."

He began to turn away but Akito's hand shot out and grabbed hold of his wrist stopping him. "Please don't," Akito whispered. "Don't leave me behind. P-Please don't…"

Kyo couldn't help but feel pity stir in his heart for the heartbroken look on Akito's face but it wasn't enough to make him stay. There was nothing that could hold him here anymore.

"I'm sorry," Kyo said softly. "But I can't stay here with you. I don't belong with you."

The hand on his wrist slid away as Kyo turned and walked out the door. He had barely gone a few steps when he heard an almost inhuman cry of pain from behind him.

* * *

Yuki let out a sigh of relief as he sunk his hands into the cool dirt of his secret base. It felt good to escape the confines of the house. Everything in that place just kept reminding him of Kyo.

Although there was something out here that made his heart ache painfully. He had been trying to avoid looking at it but his eyes unconsciously moved over to it before he could stop himself.

The red rose bush he had planted for Kyo had grown even bigger and the flowers on it were full and beautiful.

Yuki tore his eyes from the bush and shut his eyes tight against the tears that were already building up. He had cried too many times recently; he couldn't bear to do it again.

He jumped as he felt warm, soft fingers caressing his face.

His eyes flew open, his mouth open to yell at the person who had touched him but his words were lost along with his breath as he found himself staring into the blood red eyes that had been haunting his dreams.

Kyo brushed Yuki's eyes with the pad of his thumb, a small smile playing across his lips. "Hey what's up the waterworks?" He asked.

Yuki gaped at him for a few moments and then he threw his arms around Kyo, knocking into him so hard that they went sprawling together onto the ground. Their lips locked instantly and they kissed frenziedly, parting only for short gasps of breath before plunging in again.

After going through a straight minute of this Yuki pulled away from Kyo, his mind cleared enough now to allow rational thought.

"How did you get here?" He panted. "I thought that…" His throat tightened and he had to force the next words out. "What about Akito?"

"He lost," Kyo said. "He took my memories away but Tohru helped me get them back."

"Tohru?" Yuki echoed, his eyes widening. "But how…" He trailed off as Kyo pressed his lips to his cheek.

"I promise to explain everything later," Kyo promised, "but right now all you need to know is that I'm back, I remember everything, and that I love you more then you could ever imagine."

Yuki's face broke out into a huge smile and he pressed his lips to Kyo's again. "Oh, I think I can imagine," He whispered.


	17. Chapter 17

**I know that this is not really an update and I'm sorry for that, but I've been meaning to correct the problems in this chapter for a long time. (Thanks to Chaseha-Wing for pointing it out).**

**The only explanation that I can give for the lack of updates is that I have been lacking in the inspiration department as of late. Things have been very busy around here and my inspiration took a turn for the worse after my brother died and is still a form of recovery. Hopefully, I will be able to write more on this after reviewing all my old mangas of "Fruits Basket" because I really want to be able to finish this story for all the people that like it so much.**

* * *

Yuki wasn't sure how much time passed by as he lay there on the ground, cradled in Kyo's arms with their lips hardly ever separating, but rational thought slowly began to return to his brain and he realized just how late it had to be.

"We should head back," He murmured.

"I suppose your right," Kyo said. He pulled back from Yuki, laughing when the nezumi released an unhappy mewl at the lose of his lover's lips against his own. He offered his hand out to Yuki, who took it after shooting Kyo a halfhearted glare for laughing at him.

Kyo raised Yuki's hand to his mouth, moving his lips gently across each of the knuckles and smirking when he felt Yuki shudder. "Don't worry, my nezumi," He whispered. I'm not through with you yet. I have a lot of lost time to make up for, after all. But first, we have to head back. I'm sure Tohru's already worrying up a storm."

* * *

Since it was a school day tomorrow, Tohru knew that she should already be in bed by this hour so that she wouldn't be exhausted during lessons. Yuki still hadn't returned home, however, and her nerves refused to allow her any form of rest until he did, which was why she was standing before the door, waiting for him.

Yuki had left to attend to his secret base straight after dinner, not even staying to help with the dishes like he usually did. Shigure had mockingly bemoaned his lack of manners to Tohru well she cleaned up after the meal, but she didn't really mind doing the work by herself. She didn't have it in her to stop Yuki from leaving anyway because ever since Akito had taken Kyo, his secret base had been one of the few things that brought him any form of peace.

But when hour after hour flew by without any sign of Yuki, Tohru had begun to grow worried and a horrible thought had risen into her mind.

It seemed that Yuki grew more miserable with every day that passed without Kyo. Tohru had even overheard Hatori telling Shigure to contact him right away if Yuki started to show any signs of depression.

Everyone, including herself, had been trying to ease Yuki's pain in whatever way they could, but what if it wasn't enough?

_What if he had done the unthinkable?_

The question had hardly passed through her mind before Tohru began to shake her head in rapid denial.

No! Yuki would never even _think_ of doing such a terrible thing! He couldn't just give up like that! Not when she had finally been able to fix everything.

Tohru took a step forward, hand outstretched for the door handle. Yuki would never hurt himself like that and she would prove it to herself by going out there to check on him.

Her hand was inches from the handle, however, when the door swung open to reveal the very person she had been about to go see.

"Yuki!" Tohru cried, running up to him. "I'm so glad you're alright! I thought something horrible may have happened!"

"I'm sorry for making you worry so much, Honda-san," Yuki said. "It's just that…well…I suppose you could say that I ran into an old friend."

Tohru jumped at the sound of a snort from behind Yuki and then her mouth fell open when an all too familiar voice reached her ears.

"I think we're more than _friends _by now Yuki."

"Kyo!" Tohru cried. She rushed outside and threw her arms around the orange haired boy before she could stop herself, which of course meant that she wound up holding a cat not a second later. "Oh, I'm sorry!" She exclaimed. "I was so glad to see you!"

Kyo shook his head at her with a hint of amusement in his eyes. "I see you're still the same, Tohru," He said. "That's good." He turned his gaze behind her towards the house. "I'm home."

* * *

There was a huge commotion when Shigure came downstairs for breakfast and discovered that there was an extra addition at the table. He wrangled Kyo into an enormous hug and only released the squirming neko once Yuki yanked him off. Then he bounded off to inform the rest of the zodiac of what had happened and invite them over to share in the glorious homecoming.

They were suppose to head off to school after their meal, but Shigure had convinced them to stay for the party that he was planning, assuring Tohru that her mother would forgive her for missing her lessons for an occasion such as this.

Kyo had to endure numerous greeting as the zodiac members filed into the house. Kagura and Momiji had sent him onto the ground with the force of their hugs, and Ayame had rescued him from them, only to lament in the clothes that he wouldn't be able to try out on the neko now. He was rather surprised, however, by the hug that Hatori gave him.

Their time together passed in a relaxed manner with the conversation flowing easily; everyone simply happy to have the lost member of their family back.

The celebration was interrupted, however, once the phone rang and Shigure went off to answer it. When he returned to the others, his expression was grim.

"That was Akito. He wants to see Yuki and Kyo. _Immediately_."


	18. Chapter 18

Akito was sprawled out on the floor, his blank eyes fixed upon the ceiling, although he was far too lost in his own thoughts to really see if now. He could hardly even hear the faint sounds of the rain that fell outside.

The night before had been like a nightmare. It was as if everything inside of him had shattered when Kyo turned his back on him. He didn't realize that his knees had given way until he felt the thud of wood beneath him and he came to realize that the awful, shrill sound that he heard, was in fact his own screams.

The maids had rushed into the room in a panic to see what the cause of their master's alarm was, but Kureno had shooed them all away, no doubt knowing that their presence would only make Akito's condition worse. Once they had left, he had gathered Akito into his arms, rocking the body that trembled in his arms and wiping away the tears.

When Akito had finally succumbed to sleep it had been more pure exhaustion than anything else.

The anguish had still been there when he awoke, but it had become nothing more than a dull, throbbing ache. The emotion that was really controlling his heart right now was fury interwoven with an ironclad conviction.

This was not the end. He would not _allow _it to end like this. He would show Yuki exactly what happened to a person that dared to steal away what belonged to a god.

He was drawn from his musings by the soft pad of footsteps coming down the hall and he rolled over onto his side as the door to the room slid open.

One of the maids was standing there and though she was making a concentrated effort to keep her head bowed down low, Akito could see the fear in her eyes. His lips curled upwards into an emotionless smirk. The outburst that she had witnessed him having last night must have left her quite unnerved.

"Akito-sama, Yuki-san and Kyo-san have arrived," She murmured. "Should I allow them in?"

"Yes," Akito said. "I have been expecting them."

* * *

Yuki was doing his best to suppress his turbulent emotions as he waited for the maid to return. He couldn't afford to appear frightened when he appeared before Akito because he knew that the head of house would be trying to use his fear against him. If he wanted to stand any chance at all, he would have to appear as if there was nothing that Akito could use to exploit him.

The thought of facing Akito, however, made Yuki want to grab Kyo and run away as fast as he could. He knew what would have to happened during their meeting and he did not want to face it. He wanted to disappear back into the times when he had been able to lay enclosed in Kyo's arms and believe that nothing could ever come between them.

A hand curled around his own, giving it a comforting squeeze, and he turned to look at Kyo, who was standing at his side.

"Don't worry," Kyo said. "I won't let him hurt you."

Yuki frowned, his grip on the other's hand tightening out of fear. "I'm not worried about myself."

Before Kyo could answer him, the maid from before appeared and gave them a slight bow. "Akito will see you now," She announced.

The boys nodded at her in a grim fashion and then headed off down the hall, for they didn't need her to show them the way to the room that both of them knew all too well.

Akito had opened the door that led out to the veranda and the small courtyard beyond where the rain was drizzling down. He was leaning against the door frame with an attitude of nonchalance that neither boy believed in.

"Ah, Kyo and…_Yuki_…I am so glad you came to see me."

The tone of his voice made Kyo nervous, for it was far too calm for the situation and the soft malice that had arisen when he spoke Yuki's name had not gone unnoticed.

"You make it sound like we had a choice," Kyo said. He moved in front of Yuki so that he would be in front of the other boy incase Akito exploded. "I thought we reached an understanding last night."

"An understanding?" Akito whispered. The first strains of the anger were slipping through his voice now. "Is that what you think occurred last night?"

"Yes," Kyo answered.

"Then you a greater fool than I realized," Akito snapped. "Did you really think that I would let you leave me? You are mine."

At this, Yuki spoke up for the first time. "That's not true." He stepped around Kyo, pulling his hand away from the neko's when the other boy tried to pull him back. He locked eyes with Akito and hoped that the head of house wouldn't see any traces of fear in his expression. "You have no right to claim Kyo as your own. He belongs to me."

"And what do you think gives you that right?" Akito demanded. "I am his god and yours. I am the one who controls the zodiac. I am the master of his very _soul_." He seemed prepared to go on, but then he paused as if a sudden idea had come to him. His eyes flitted down towards Kyo's wrist. "Do you really love _all _of him?"

Yuki opened his mouth to declare his love for Kyo, but then the full weight of Akito's words sunk in, and the words died on his lips.

Akito tipped his head backwards, mouth falling open to allow a cruel, cold laugh to escape from it. "It seems that you haven't been exposed enough to the other side of your precious Kyo." He pushed away from the doorway with a dangerous smirk. "Let's fix that shall we?"

And before Yuki even realized what was happening, Akito had grabbed Kyo by the arm, wrenching him towards the doorway despite how hard the boy struggled against him. "Let's see if you still love him!" Akito called over to Yuki. Then he tore the bracelet from Kyo's wrist and shoved him out into the courtyard.

Yuki raced forward in a futile effort to stop what was about to happen, but he was left to stand there, watching in horror as the person he loved transformed into a monster.

It hardly took a minute for the change to occur, the bones shifting to create a new form and the skin that stretched over it becoming distorted. The scent of rancid flesh rose up into the air.

Yuki could feel his heart thudding rapidly against his chest and was aware of how wide his eyes had become.

Hands came down on his shoulders, clutching them so tight that the fingers dug into his skin through the fabric of his shirt, and he could feel the breath that passed through the mouth that hung by his ear.

"So, Yuki, do you still love him?"

Yuki pressed his lips together into a firm line, hand curling into fists. There was a part of him that was screaming out that he still loved Kyo, but there was another, although much smaller, part that was asking him how he could have care for something that wasn't even remotely human.

But then, his eyes locked with Kyo's, and everything changed. There was such fear in those eyes and a pain that seared through Yuki's heart. It was those eyes that reminded him of who was before him now.

He tore way from Akito and rushed into the courtyard towards Kyo to throw his arms around a rather large arm. He rose his head up to glare back into the shocked face of Akito.

"If you thought that a change in appearance would change my feelings, then you were wrong. The man that I love will still exist there on the inside no matter how he may change on the outside."

Akito could do little more than stare at Yuki for a few moments then his face twisted into one of revulsion. "I never though that you would sink low enough, Yuki," He said, "to love just a disgusting creature."

Yuki frowned, his brow furrowing. "I don't understand it," He said. "You say that you love Kyo and yet you say such cruel things about him. If you truly loved him you would never even dream of saying something like that about him."

The words hit Akito with the force of a blow. "No…" He murmured. "Your wrong. I love Kyo."

"No, you don't, Akito," Yuki said. "You may crave to have Kyo as your own but that's all it is. Desire is not the same as love."

Akito turned away from Yuki, his head lowered, and then he released a broken laugh without any mirth in it. "Desire, hm? Is that what this feeling is? Then I suppose your love is the pure one after all." When he rose his head back up, Yuki took a sharp intake of breath in surprise, for the eyes of the god were softer than he had ever seen them and were gathering with tears. "So, you are the winner then. I hope that you always respect what you have."

And then he was gone.


	19. Chapter 19

**I am sorry it took so long for me to update! Things have just been very busy since I'm a senior this year and I have been having horrible writer's block/loss of inspiration with this story. Thank you all for being so patient with me. I know that this chapter is very short, but I wanted to give you something as I work to conquer the next part. It won't be long before everything is wrapped up.**

**And thank you for all the reviews!**

* * *

Kyo transformed back a little while after Akito left. Yuki blushed despite himself, looking at anything but Kyo as he took off his coat and draped it around the other boy to provide him with some decency before he scuttled off to collect the bracelet. Kyo had nothing to wear now since his clothes had been ripped apart when he had transformed, so Yuki slipped out of the room to find a maid that could go get some clothes.

When he came back, Kyo had stood up and was slipping the bracelet back around his wrist. He had buttoned up the jacket and Yuki was glad that he had chosen to wear his longer one today. The end of the jacket brushed just bellow Kyo's kneecaps. Yuki felt his body run hot as he remembered that there was nothing bellow that jacket and had to force himself to think of something else. Now wasn't the time to dwell on such things. Especially when Kyo was staring at him with a sense of awe that made him look completely vulnerable.

"Did we just…_win_?" Kyo asked.

Yuki stared at him for a few moments as the significance of what had just happened began to sink in and then he grinned at Kyo, unable to suppress his joy. "Yes, we did," He replied. The laugh he released as Kyo jumped into his arms was quickly smothered by a harsh kiss.

They remained that way for quite some time, just enjoying the fact that they could share kisses now without fearing that it would be their last, until the door slid open and there came a cry of surprise from the maid who had returned with the clothes for Kyo. The boys turned broke apart just in time to witness her frantic bow before she dropped the clothes and raced out of the room.

Kyo burst out laughing while Yuki turned bright red in embarrassment. "I think we just scarred that poor maid for life," Kyo said.

Yuki couldn't stop a small chuckle from escaping at that comment. But then he began to realize things that he hadn't really been focusing on while he had been swept caught up in the euphoria of kissing Kyo. Such as the way that Kyo's rain slicked skin slid across his own in a way that was far too sensual for him to handle.

He began to pull way, not wanting to do something that he would wind up regretting later, but Kyo clutched onto his arms, refusing to let him go.

"Don't," He said. "I know what you want and it's alright."

"Kyo…" Yuki trailed off with a sigh. "You don't have to force yourself to do this for me. I knew that this part of relationship wasn't going to come easily. Not after what you went through with Akito."

"You really are too nice for your own good," Kyo said. He pressed his forehead against Yuki's with a soft smile. "I'm not _forcing_ myself to do anything. What I went through with Akito was horrible, yes, and I'll probably never really forget it, but it won't be the same with you. It can't be because _I love you_."

Yuki took a deep breath, trying to steady himself against the effect those words had on him. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," Kyo said. "I trust you."

Yuki smiled as he pressed a fleeting kiss against his lover's mouth, wondering what he had ever done to deserve such a person. "Alright, but we're not doing it here." He refused to allow their first time to happen in a place that held far too many bad memories for both of them.

Kyo dipped his head in agreement before darting off to grab the clothes that the maid had left for him, his body thrumming in anticipation.


End file.
